The islands in Ocean Country have been celebrating the arrival of the next Umikage, Saizo. The long bridge leading to SHIPPUUGAKURE NO SATO has been closed for outsiders because they wish to celebrate this moment with Ocean Country natives only.
As usual, the Storm Country has been hosting the Asgard Games to welcome their Kanetsukage, Cornelia. It's a double special occasion because Cornelia is also the first female Kanetsukage. She has been picked for her courage, loyalty and outstanding power by the BOUFUUGAKURE NO SATO elders.
Not only that, but the Cherry Blossom Country has become relieved as well. It seems that everyone is slowly picking up after the war now. KUSAMURAGAKURE NO SATO proudly presented their new Sakurakage, Altair.
TSUKIGAKURE NO SATO is still thriving on the merchants coming in and out. They have not experienced anything special lately. Their wealth has remained the same as they were not forced to invest into shinobi unlike the others.
On the cold isles of the Blizzard Country, HYOUGAGAKURE NO SATO has still refused to create a free traveling policy. Some habits never change. To protect their traditions, they have even warned outsiders to not interfere with their matters.
Now that everyone is picking up again, who will come out on top?
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First Name: Rin Last Name: Nii'gata Alias:Chi no Ryū ~ 龍の血
Gender: Male Age: Eighteen Height: 5'11” (180cm) Weight: 164lbs (74kg) Birthday: June 21st Sexuality: Bisexual Relationships: /
Affiliation: Shippuugakure no Sato Rank: Chūnin Element: Katon / Fūton / Doton Specialization: Taijutsu / Ninjutsu / Kenjutsu
Personality: Rin is very complex. His personality couldn't be summed up in as few words as possible, as that itself could fill a book. On the outside, he acts friendly. He has a positive demeanor and a warm smile that immediately makes him seem approachable and talkative. He speaks cleanly and calmly with only the slightest hint of an accent that seems foreign no matter where he goes, though his vocabulary seems to be quite limited in terms of complexity or quality. But once you delve further into the depths of his character, you find that he is much more intricate. He is honest, but very blunt. His honesty is often misplaced and ill-conceived, as he would rather tell the truth and unknowingly hurt somebody than lie or keep information from them. His upbringing and culture was bred for honour, and he had been taught from a young age that this type of behavior was very dishonourable.
Beyond these traits, Rin is also quite the skeptic. He is naturally paranoid for seemingly no reason, but something about his demeanor would give the impression that he hides the cause well. This transitions well into another aspect of his personality, which is his secretive nature. His clan is shrouded in secrecy and, as such, revealing information about them is something that he is not voluntarily capable of doing.
Despite his innate secrecy, Rin is both an optimist and a realist. He is capable of identifying threats with ease and comes to terms with things, such as death, that would otherwise cripple him emotionally without much hardship. Rin likes to think on the "bright side" while still being able to be realistic, if only for his sake. Because of this, Rin is also naturally calm. Very little can actually rile him up or enrage him, though he does have his weaknesses. Rin is a very focused and collected individual. As a Pragmatist and Perfectionist, his ability to dedicate himself to a task and see it through to the end is something to be admired. This is, again, partially due to his upbringing, though it is also a natural trait that he possesses.
There are much deeper, and much darker depths to Rin's personality. Although he may seem like a truly happy and optimistic person, various things that occurred in his past have lead him to have depression. It's severity is situational and Rin doesn't display it well, but it is definitely present in his life. Although Rin is a genuinely passionate person, he often displays signs of being detached or unresponsive. It's his nature as a secretive and calm person, he just doesn't like to display his emotions openly without the proper motivation.
Rin's demeanor can change dramatically depending on the situation. While he may seem happy and content walking around the village, he might adapt to a more serious behavior whenever the occasion permits. As an example, Rin tends to use a logical process of thinking whenever he's out of combat, but when in combat, he acts purely on instinct which makes his advances naturally difficult to predict. So while some may view his actions as random or make the assumption that he's dimwitted, Rin is actually quite intelligent, even if it is situational. He is also very open minded and willing to learn, so new concepts are comprehended much easier than normal.
Likes: There are a plethora of different things that Rin likes, and similar to his personality, the list could fill books. The most common to be spoken of are his food preferences. He typically enjoys most types of meat and fish, as his diet is primarily carnivorous. He especially enjoys Deer Venison and Copper River Salmon, which are both common foods from his homeland. An almost comically innate preference that he has inherited from his clan is his love for spicy and hot food. On the topic of food, Rin likes to cook. One of the roles he held in his clan was hunting and preparing food, a task that would have normally been handed off to some of the followers of his clan had he not held such great skill and experience. As a self-sufficient individual, Rin views what others see as a chore or annoying task to be a rather enjoyable and pleasurable experience.
Moving on from his love for food, there are various other activities that Rin enjoys. Sleeping is arguably the most notable, as he does enjoy his fair share of lazy days. Although it is a bit hypocritical, he also likes the rain, though his opinion on it remains situational. As long as he's not in the rain and there isn't any thunder, he holds no qualms against the natural occurrence. Rin also enjoys the warm weather, but despises humidity, which he very quickly grows sluggish in. The heat is something that he naturally likes, and the nature of fire is also enjoyable. Its presence calms him almost immediately.
When it comes to romance, Rin is very indecisive. The nature of the women of his clan had left a bad taste in his mouth prior to leaving his home land. Many of them presented themselves to him as very dominant or overbearing. Given Rin's rather sheltered lifestyle, his opinion of women has been distorted. Because of this, he has begun to prefer the romantic company of a male over a female, but he can sway in either direction if convinced.
Dislikes: There are plenty of things that Rin dislikes, but as a fairly optimistic person, the list of dislikes does not outweigh his list of likes. Purely for the sake of contrast, Rin doesn't like the taste of bitter or sweet foots. His preference for spicy and hot food influences this. Rin also dislikes most vegetables, but he's not against eating them and hasn't excluded them entirely from his diet. On the topic of food, Rin hates the smell of burnt food and hates when things go to waste. His upbringing taught him to use everything from the things they hunted and gathered, often leaving absolutely nothing to waste.
As with most members of his clan, Rin has a natural dislike for water. Large bodies of water such as lakes and oceans make him very uneasy, and he tends to avoid water however he can. Bathing, though done as often as any, is very uncomfortable for Rin. Oddly enough, Rin enjoys the sound of the rain. He hates being forced to be out in the rain, and has a childish fear of thunder, but a lightning storm just seems to calm him down without much reason. Rin also dislikes cold weather, typically snowy climates or the winter months in areas that do actually experience them.
Possibly the most severe "dislike", assuming that the word severe is applicable to describe this extension of his secretive personality, would be speaking about his origins, particularly his clan and their traditions. He is secretive by nature and if there was any information he would ever withhold, it would be anything relating to his back story.
Motivation: Proving himself has always been Rin's motivation. But to whom does he want to prove himself to? His clan perhaps, as his origins and ancestors are amongst the most important things to him. He recognizes that he exists in the way that he does today because of their sacrifices and hardships, and wishes to respect them by proving himself worthy to be the result of their experiences. Perhaps to his God as well, who motivates him to prove himself. It's very common for members of his clan to strive to prove themselves to their superiors, and leaving a lasting impression on their divine deities is an action that motivates nearly every member of his clan.
There isn't much else that motivates Rin. He only gets up in the morning to see the sun rise, and endures the day to better himself. He doesn't strive to see somebody meet their end, or have a specific title or goal in mind. He simply lives his life day by day, and enjoys himself while doing it.
Fears: Presently, Rin possesses a moderate case of Nihilophobia and legitimately fears nothingness more than anything. Inherently, he also fears death by a technicality, as life after death is unknown to Rin. He believes that the potential for nothing to exist after death also frightens him to some extent. As a whole, what is unknown to Takao is generally something that he fears. He no longer possesses many of the trivial fears that haunted his childhood, though there are a few that linger which cause him some level of discomfort, as his minor case of arachnophobia would demonstrate. Rin also has a moderate fear of the ocean and open water, which can be attributed to his Nihilophobia and how little he knows about it as well as a natural trait earned through his heritage as a Nii'gata. Unrelated to his other fears and discomforting phobias, disappointment upsets Rin to a degree that it could be considered more of a fear than a general dislike. Disappointing others and the potential inability to live up to their standards is something that discomforts Rin enough to be compared to a legitimate fear. Doing so makes him very anxious and worried, as he genuinely likes to keep himself up to the standards of others, especially those he shares a blood relation with.
Although it is quite hypocritical for Rin to despise water, yet like the rain, he still has a very childish fear of thunder. The presence of lightning doesn't both him, but the loud boom of thunder frightens him with ease.
Nii'gata
Bloodline Name: Ryū no iki (竜の息: translated to; "breath of a dragon")
Bloodline Ability: The Nii'gata have particularly potent chakra and an innate ability to mold their primary and secondary affinities. Due to this peculiar mutation, and as an added effect, the Nii'gata are capable of channeling chakra through their lungs and mouths without the usual hand seal requirement.
Primary Nature Affinity deals the same damage as a technique one rank higher.
Breath-based techniques do not require hand seals to be completed.
Location: Shippuugakure no Sato
Clan History:
Spoiler:
The Nii'gata have very peculiar origins that date back to the pre-shinobi era. The Nii'gata began with Tatsuo Kana, a nomadic traveler and loyal follower to a forgotten religion. He worshiped Xiuhcoatl, the Draconian God of Creation. Present day Nii'gata religion recognizes this deity as the being that created everything that is known to exist.
As time passed, Tatsuo gathered followers. Others, like him, that also wished to be loyal to his God. He taught these followers of his about Xiuhcoatl. The God of peaceful balance, Coaxoch, and the God of chaotic balance, Balerion. He explained how Xiuhcoatl was both the God of Creation, as well as true balance. He created these two demigods to represent and uphold balance over the realm, because the Nii'gata believe in times of balance. They believe that at any one period of time, the realm can either be in a time of peace or a time of chaos. Xiuhcoatl created these two Gods to balance each other. Before the age of mankind, Coaxoch and Balerion were at war. Each side believed that they would only be successful without their other half, and because of their ignorance, the two were constantly at war. The time of chaos and time of peace tore the world into ruin and forced Xiuhcoatl to bring rebirth. During this time, Balerion sealed Coaxoch into a crystal and set him into an indefinitely unconscious state. This lead the land into the time of true chaos and, eventually, lead to the creation of chakra.
However, this is simply their point of view. The Nii'gata had been cut off from the outside world for a very long time. Though time has passed, the Nii'gata still cling to their ancient customs and traditions. Being worshipers of Dragons, these traditions typically involve fire. In fact, the Nii'gata are so naturally obsessed with fire, that they host annual festivals that include competitions such as self-immolation and hot coal walking.
Moving on from the religion of the Nii'gata, Tatsuo lead his followers to a mountain that was far away from the developing civilizations. Tatsuo and his followers were not particularly social, and thus, a solitary lifestyle suited them rather well. They lived within a secluded area that was guarded by treacherous and desolate landscapes. Through sheer luck, the Nii'gata went unnoticed, and still are primarily to present day.
Many years passed and Tatsuo slowly began to decay in his old age. He traveled to the top of the mountain that the group of followers had called home for the past forty years and meditated for two weeks at the peak. Very little is known about what happened at the top of that mountain for those two weeks, as the only stories passed from generation to generation are that the followers of that time claimed to have heard the constant roar of thunder on clear days, emanating from where Tatsuo was believed to be.
When he returned, Tatsuo had claimed to have walked alongside the gods and his faith bestowed a unique power to him, one that would only be passed on to his own blood. He titled this ability Ryū no iki (竜の息: translated to; "breath of a dragon"). It was very unique at the time, especially to the Nii'gata. The idea of chakra had not been common knowledge amongst the members, and in fact, those who knew of it could only call it their life energy.
The Nii'gata lived in solitude for generations, untouched by the growing civilizations. Tatsuo saw the creation of three offspring. Hisashi, the first born. Katsuro, the second, was born two years after Hisashi. Susumu, the third, was born four years after Katsuro. All three of his children carried his blood and were carriers of the Ryū no iki. Tatsuo died three years after Susumu was born, leaving nine year old Hisashi to lead the Followers. He had been thoroughly taught of the growing clan's belief and religion, and after being raised by the loyal followers of Tatsuo's time, Hisashi rose to be a great leader of his people.
Hisashi lead the freshly formed Nii'gata and their followers off the mountain, which was now both the sacred place for the “pure blooded” Nii'gata as well as Tatsuo's resting place. The three sons of Tatsuo had their own children, further diluting the Nii'gata blood. Hisashi was the first to unlock the ability bestowed upon his blood. It was powerful, his roars could crack mountains and his breath could throw fire hundreds of meters into the air. The Nii'gata lived peacefully in an enclosed mountain range, the peaks too high to climb through natural means and the surrounding environment much too treacherous for any sane being to want to travel through. Truth be told, there was no reason for the Nii'gata to be found. The only disputes they had were amongst themselves and were settled very quickly. Years passed and Hisashi passed from age. He was honoured beside his Father and Katsuro was chosen to lead the Followers. He traveled the top of his mountain, just as his father and brother had done before him, and was bestowed his blood's ability, just as they were. He too lead the clan through times of peace, and died the same as Hisashi.
This left Susumu, the youngest of the three Nii'gata brothers. He traveled to the mountain and learned the secrets of his blood through a period of meditation that lasted two weeks. He returned to his clansmen and lead them as they had been before. Susumu also taught the sons and daughters of his brothers, as well as his own son, about the Nii'gata. They would be the ones to lead the clan in the future, so becoming properly educated on how to do so at an early age would be customary. Susumu was different than his brothers, however. He brought all of the Three Sons of Tatsuo to the mountain and had them meditate at the very tender age of ten. Each of them unlocked their abilities so young, and Susumu began one of the most honourable and respectable traditions the Nii'gata clan would ever experience.
Generations passed and the “pure blooded” Nii'gata bloodline slowly became more and more diluted. Each passing generation grew weaker in the voice, but compensated for it through other means. Shinobi Villages had long since formed, yet the Nii'gata lived on, completely oblivious to the war and turmoil that raged on beyond their mountains of ignorance. There was no way for them to know, the last time they had taken an outsider as a follower was hundreds of years prior. But their lifestyle of tribalism went on. As technology advanced, the Nii'gata still hunted with improvised weaponry. As architecture came up, the Nii'gata still lived in animal skin tents. They entertained themselves through festivals and nightly bonfires. It was almost as if they lived in a state of halted development. Stasis. They didn't progress or devolve, they simply existed.
Since the times of Tatsuo leading the Followers, the clan has undergone many changes. The first and, arguably, the most noteworthy is that the Pure Blooded have officially split themselves from the Followers. Only those with Tatsuo's blood call themselves Nii'gata, whereas the followers are known as just that, Followers of the Voice. In addition to this, the religion of the Nii'gata has also been split down the middle. There are those who worship Coaxoch over Balerion, and there are those who worship Balerion over Coaxoch. Similar to the conflict of those gods, those who worship either side tend to believe that their side is what will achieve true balance. However, there is another, much more infrequent practiced religion. Although it is generally looked down upon, there are those who follow the guidance of Xiuhcoatl. They seek genuine equilibrium, but are not as consumed with their ideals as others are. While worshipers of Coaxoch tend to be more practiced in the voice and possess the ability to speak Nii'shita, those who worship Balerion do not. Instead, they focus themselves more on the rituals and traditions of the Nii'gata.
Nowadays, in present times, the Nii'gata still live in solitude, protected behind the walls that they hid behind for hundreds of years. They are now lead by Taiyu, a direct descendent of Katsuro and carrier of the Ryū no iki. She resides at the top of the mountain that her forefathers and ancestors are honoured and spends her days practicing the voice in an attempt to restore it's ability to the glory of their Ancestors.
The Nii'gata practice a new tradition to test the worthiness of new pure bloods. Their typical meditation routine consists of the pure blooded sitting within a circle of burning flames for hours, days even, with no food, water, or sleep. During this time, their body is set aflame, and if the pure blooded falters or breaks their meditative trance, they are not ready. Those who do withstand the flames for their duration are imbued with the clan's trademark, the unnatural burn scars that decorate their upper torso. They are also sent to the mountain alone to learn the voice from Taiyu.
There has never been a Nii'gata that left the sanctuary that they have called home for the past hundreds of years. Until now.
History: Rin was born into the elusive and secretive Nii'gata clan as a direct descendent of Katsuro Nii'gata, the second of the Three Sons of Tatsuo. Like his parents Shinta and Hui, Rin was born with blood pure to their ancestors. His blood was especially pure in comparison to both his parents and most other living descendents of Tatsuo. This was the sign that he was the next in line to lead the Nii'gata and their Followers, and he was to replace the current individual who oversaw the clan whenever they passed. But until then, Rin was just another pure blooded Nii'gata kid. He was able to enjoy all the spoils of childhood. At the tender age of six, Rin was taught how to eat fire and gladly endured it. He was a natural by the age of seven. A year later, the eight year old boy was already meditating within the clan's ring of fire. This particular activity was normally only presented to the older children of the clan, but Rin was.. different. The Followers recognized him as prodigal, whereas the elder pure blooded simply viewed him as both very enthusiastic, but very reckless.
Rin viewed himself as neither. He simply viewed himself as... well, himself. Just a kid enjoying his life. As he aged further, Rin began to be trained by his father. As part of his training, he meditated within a circle of fire and afterward, claimed to have survived using the natural energy that the fire around him gave off. By now, at the young age of nine, fire was nothing to be feared. He walked amongst it like he did his clansmen and did not fear it, he respected it rather. It's presence in his life was so influential that he could do nothing but have respect for the emotionless flames that seemed to consume everything in their path.
Rin was ten when he was already being considered for the Nii'gata's rite of passage ritual. Although he felt ready for it, his father wanted to continue to instruct him. It may have just been selfishness on his Father's part, but Rin didn't particularly care. A few years of intensive training passed. During this time, Rin learned a lot from his father. He learned how to hunt and prepare an animal, as well as how to cook and fend for himself. Rin was almost completely independent and self-sufficient at this point in his life. He no longer relied on his parents for support. It was now that his father saw that his son was ready.
So there he sat, amongst the circle of dancing flames that he had grown so accustomed to. Flames that he knew as well as he did his own family, perhaps even better. As the fire raged on, they slowly crawled closer to Rin. It only took a second for the flames, made from chakra, to gather on the fourteen year old boy and begin to burn. But he sat there as if the flames weren't bothering him, and they weren't. Those flames burned for two hours until they naturally died out, the chakra inside them no longer burning as fuel. As they turned from fire to air, Rin opened his eyes and stood. His body steamed and smoked as the ring of fire disappeared around of him.
He stepped away from the flames and faced the clan's elder who oversaw the entire meditation session. He had saw how Rin didn't move whatsoever, even as the flames crawled onto his body, the body sat as motionless as a corpse. A small smirk came to his face as the boy, no older than fourteen, had passed the ritual most adults couldn't even begin to consider. The following week, Rin was set to travel to the mountain across their land, to meet with the clan's leader. The journey was brief and only took about two days, though scaling the mountain was a challenge. One Rin reached the summit, he was greeted by Taiyu. She didn't look much older than hear, probably younger than twenty five years old. She was known as Doragon chōrō, or “Dragon Elder”. It was under her guidance that Rin was able to unlock his Kekkai Genkai. Her training was more intense than he could ever had anticipated, but he endured each trial. For months she tested every fiber of his being, not only testing his bodily abilities, but the purity of his bloodline. When she learned everything there was to learn about Rin, she brought him to the resting place of Tatsuo, his sons, their sons, and the rest of the leaders of the clan. Each of them had been carved into the wall of a large cave, with Tatsuo being the only free standing sculpture in the middle of the cave. On the back of the cave, Rin was introduced to a large wall filled with bloody hand prints. She instructed Rin to cut his hand and place his mark upon the wall, which he did without hesitation. As his blood dried and stained the stone surface, Rin admired the other marks. His blood now shared the same resting place as his ancestors.
Rin was taken to the peak of the mountain, above where the clouds touched. Taiyu instructed him to meditate, and when Rin asked for how long, she only smirked and nodded to him. She departed and left the fourteen year old boy to his meditation atop the mountain. About two weeks later, he made his way down the mountain. When Taiyu asked him to demonstrate the fruits of his labour, Rin released a roar of flames into the air. His time on the mountain and he returned to the Nii'gata settlements. As with all pure bloods who were successful on the mountain, a festival was held for Rin. The festivities went on for a week, celebrating the newest heir to the clan.
But something was dwelling within Rin. He couldn't describe it, it was unlike a feeling that he had ever experienced before. On one particularly cloudy night, a storm was brewing in the distance. Rin traveled to the Follower's settlement, which was located directly beside the pure blooded, and slaughtered seven of the Nii'gata Followers. He beat each one to death in cold blood with his bare hands for a reason he couldn't even comprehend. His time on the mountain bestowed something very particular upon Rin. It wasn't arrogance, but it filled him with the insufferable desire to prove himself. To who though? He didn't know, he just needed to prove himself. He didn't even know what he needed prove. All he knew is that he had to do something.
Rin faced his punishment the next day. He became known as Tero o nenshō, "The Burning Terror". This type of behavior had never been exhibited by any member of the Nii'gata, both living and dead. The Nii'gata elder who oversaw Rin's meditation in the ring of fire delivered the harshest punishment that any of the clansmen could have imagined. Banishment and exile. Rin wasn't just ordered to leave the settlement, he was ordered to leave the mountain range entirely. He desperately tried to contest the ruling, but his pleads went unanswered and he was forced to leave. Rin scaled the mountains again and as he reached the peak, he gave his home one last glance.
It was this event that resulted in Rin discovering shinobi villages. As a fourteen year old boy, Rin traveled the land, slowly learning about everything that had occurred outside of his sheltered lifestyle. He learned of shinobi villages the first after accidentally encountering Kusamuragakure. Although still hundreds of kilometers away from his homeland, it was still the closest at the time. In Kusamuragakure, he learned about shinobi, chakra, hand seals, and many other important concepts that Rin had previously been ignorant to.
During his time in Kusamuragakure, Rin learned of a particularly legendary weapon that had been stolen by what the residents called a “Rogue Shinobi”. Rin did not possess a sense of justice that would drive him to immediately volunteer to apprehend said shinobi, but rather a hint of greed that motivated him to take it for himself. So he traveled to their encampment a good ten kilometers away from the village. Rin, although inexperienced at the young age of fifteen, took special care in beating each of the supposed Rogue Shinobi to a bloodied pulp. He approached the would-be leader of the gang of ruffians and the two exchanged very few words, but many blows. Their battle went on for an hour, with injuries sustained by both sides. Rin was left with a gash in his chest, which later healed to be a very faint scar, and the leader was left without his head. Rin took the blade he'd been looking for from the man's corpse and admired it. It was strange, unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was large and heavy, but he could lift it with ease. The blade was wrapped in bandages and it had a very odd shape to it. Thicker than any metal he'd seen in his lifetime, and shaped like some massive animal's tooth. But the strangest part about it was the feeling it gave off. It was his weapon now, and Kusamuragakure would have no idea, or at least that's what Rin believed. (Pending Intro Event reward.)
With his new weapon in hand, Rin continued his travels. His time in Hyougagakure was very brief and unpleasant, as the boy naturally hated the cold. Rin then moved across the sea with his eyes set on Shippuugakure. When he arrived, he was actually quite interested in the village. It was unique compared to the others that he had seen. Although the weather wasn't completely to his liking, he was able to listen to the rain a lot more than he did in the other villages. Rin decided that he would stay there, for a while at the very least, if for nothing else but to see what it would be like.
A week had passed. Then a month. Then six months. Rin never left, the village grew on him. He found himself enrolled in the shinobi academy for only two months before he was promoted to genin, purely for his pre-existing combat skills and tactical prowess. When he was paired up to spar with other genin, he was quite ruthless, and the addition of his special weapon did not help the fact. Rin was then promoted to Chuunin again due to his above average ability. Rin now operates as a Chuunin ranked shinobi under the Umikage, despite the fact that he has very limited experience with anything relating to being a ninja.
RP Sample:
Spoiler:
Now this was interesting... Takao's day has started a bit differently than they had before. He had no meetings, he had no plans to train this early, but now he found himself trudging through the fresh layer of snow that covered the Iron Country landscape. Lucky for him that the blizzard that had been ravaging the Tetsu no Kuni for the past few days finally passed. So, what was he doing out in the middle of nowhere all of a sudden?
Well, earlier tha morning... “I don't mean to be disrespectful, but why is this any of my concern?” Takao said as he stepped away from the Wing Chun training dummy that he had grown ever so fond of. He glanced down at Aoki, the Samurai who knelt in front of him. “I understand that you have no reason to aid us, but I plead you to reconsider. It's an entire town! They'd be wiped out, women and children included! Tetsu no Kuni's harsh land breeds some of the most vile scum, and without the proper reinforcements, we can do nothing to help.” the man said. Takao rolled his head around his shoulders and exhaled heavily. This wasn't his battle to fight, but at the same time, he couldn't have innocent lives on his conscience.
He groaned something inaudible and glanced down to Aoki. “In that case, where are we headed?” Takao said, his expression becoming amused as he watched Aoki's demeanor brighten up almost immediately. “It's not far from here. The town is small, but we'll be able to see it from a distance. The scouting reports suggest that they'll be there by tomorrow, so we should arrive as soon as possible to prepare.” Aoki said. He nearly choked on his words towards the end. The reports had said that the hostile group approaching the village was at least thirty men strong, over twice as large as the Samurai forces that were to be deployed to aid the village.
“Can you point me in the direction? I'll be departing by myself after I make proper preparations, but you and your regiment should arrive there as quickly as possible to evacuate the town.” Takao said. He turned and grabbed the hooded shirt he had left resting on the lifting bench. “Things might get a bit... complicated, if there are observers.” Takao said as he pulled on the hooded shirt.
Aoki nodded and pointed Takao in the right direction. He acknowledged Aoki and received a bow of his head in respect. Takao headed off to the room he had been staying in for the past few days. A group of thirty or so able bodied men, probably trained mercenaries.. This wouldn't be some walk in the park like Takao was used to. As he approached his room, he entered and made quick work of his preparations. He strapped a knife holster under his left arm and secured the blade into the holster. He dug through his clothing and removed a white hooded cloak. It worked exceptionally well for camouflage in the snowy environment. He swung the cloak around and secured it around his neck and shoulders, and then closed the front. That was about all the more preparation he would make for the short journey to the town.
Now, back to present time, Takao was just arriving at the town. The sun finally disappeared over the horizon as night fell across the winter landscape. This was the best time to travel, in Takao's opinion. Not only would any onlookers be unable to see Takao due to how little contrast his cloak gave off, but the lack of light made it that much more difficult. He actually cared so little about being seen that he hadn't bothered covering up his tracks in the snow, but his worries were elsewhere.
By the time Takao arrived at the town, the sun had just begun to rise. He had approached the town from an odd angle, where the majority of the buildings were residential and there weren't many openings. Takao didn't hear anything. No fighting, no steel clashing, no people, no nothing. It seemed like the Samurai had arrived on time and had all of the residents evacuate before the hostile forces approached. Takao silently leapt from the ground and landed on the clay tile roof of a residential home, using the higher position as a vantage point. From the horizon, as if on queue, Takao saw the large force that drew closer. He also saw the group of armoured Samurai who had positioned themselves at the entrance of the town, apparently prepared to defend it with their lives.
The camouflaged teen raised the white hood of his cloak and leapt down from the building, moving from each building to building until he was on the other side of the town, and closest to the approaching forces. He observed quietly from a distance as the small army of bandits confronted the Samurai, who all raised their weapons as they drew closer.
“Samurai! Get out of our way or you'll all meet a bloody end where you stand!” the heavily armoured bandit boomed. He sat upon a large warhorse, held a large spear in his right hand, and wore armour that looked pieced together from different Samurai uniforms. The two groups squabbled while Takao watched. The teen's hands rose to create a sequence of hand seals. Takao drew the knife from its holster under his arm and slammed it into the wall in front of him as two clouds of smoke appeared beside him, though he jumped away as the smoke cleared.
The voice of the bandit group's heavily armoured leader thundered again as he rose his spear above his head in a stabbing motion. Just as he was about to thrust the weapon forwards, the sound of shoes colliding with clay tile interrupted him. He turned his head just in time to see Takao, masked in his white cloak, leaping from the snowy roof adjacent to the bandit gathering. A very distinct whirring sound came from his hand, though his silhouette was blocked by the sun he had strategically leapt in front of. From his hand, he launched five orange orbs in rapid succession. As each spherical orb collided with the ground around the group, a large explosion erupted.
The bandit group was almost immediately scattered by the assault. The warhorse the leader sat upon reared and bucked the heavily armoured man off before running further into the town. In the same instance, the Samurai took the opportunity to begin their attack. Takao landed on a building that sat on the other side of the road and watched as the battle erupted. The sound of metal clashing, war cries sounding, and blood splattering against the fluffy white snow filled the air. Samurai and bandit alike met their end where they stood, though the Samurai's numbers were diminishing quickly. Takao stood up from his crouched position and leapt down from the building and towards the ground. He withdrew the knife from within his cloak as he landed next to a stray brigand. Takao immediately kicked the back of his knee joint inwards and forced him onto his knees. He slammed the hilt of his knife into the temple of the bandit and knocked him out almost immediately before he continued further into the group. The battle that raged on was nothing but confusion and hell. Takao deflected blow from Samurai and Bandit alike, the disarray combat caused friendly fire on both sides, though Takao was rather skillful with ensuring that no harm came upon himself.
He was tired of the fight already, and it was just about time to start cleaning up. He walked through the dwindling battlefield towards a bandit that charged straight at him, katana drawn and held over his head. As the katana was swung downwards at Takao's head, his hand shot out from behind the cloak and caught the wrist, forcing the katana down towards the ground. Takao swung his right leg around and connected with the neck of the man, forcing him to be knocked over unconscious. Two more charged Takao, one with a spear pulled back and one with another katana drawn. As the bandit thrust the spear forwards and the bandit swung his blade downwards, Takao stepped back once away from the path of the spear and grabbed the shaft. His strength was superior to the bandit, he could feel that fact almost immediately. He forced the spear forwards, loosening the man's grip on the polearm, and then forced the opposite end that the bandit tried to grab hold of into his stomach. He fell to the ground gasping for breath as Takao spun the spear above his head and caught the katana on the wooden pole as it was swung downwards at Takao's head. He forced the katana out of the other man's hands and launched it across the battlefield.
Takao gave the bandit no time to recover. He closed the short distance between them with a kick to the knee, forcing the joint to be dislocated and bent in the opposite direction instantaneously upon contact. As the bandit fell dropped to one knee, Takao swung his arm in a slashing motion and cut through the man's throat. Blood was thrown in almost every direction, splattering across Takao's white cloak and face, as well as the kicked up snow and dirt around him. The man clutched his throat as he fell over, gurgling and gasping for air. Takao watched for only a second as the bandit slowly bled out, spewing blood from his mouth. Takao's trance was broken by the sound of somebody approaching from behind. It was hard to not notice the heavily armoured Samurai charging with his spear drawn, ready to skewer Takao like a Kebab if he didn't move. As the spear was thrust forwards, Takao jumped just over the bladed polearm and rotated his body. His plated heel slammed into the metal helmet of the bandit leader, though his reaction was barely noticeable. Takao landed as the spear was swung around and just barely ducked under the thick pole as it came around, and then narrowly avoided it again by jumping as it was swung towards his legs.
Takao's attention was immediately directed towards a shout from across the battlefield. The voice was familiar, and the teen immediately recognized it as Aoki. He watched as the Samurai cut a bandit down and returned his attention to the battle at hand. As the spear came crashing down at Takao again, he closely evaded it and pivoted on his left foot. His right foot slammed down onto the wooden shaft of the spear and broke it in two. As the hulking mass of an armoured bandit tried to stab Takao with the splintered wooden pole, Takao only opened his mouth and exhaled a mixture of gas and fire nature chakra in the form of an almost liquid-esque fire. The fire consumed both the armoured man and his splintered wooden pole in one go, setting them both aflame. The man fell over and rolled, desperately trying to douse the flames that baked him alive, though he was stopped as Takao walked over and kicked his helmet off. The burnt and smoking man only stared up at Takao as he smashed his foot into the man's face multiple times. It didn't take long to crush his skull into dust, and his head caved in seconds later. Takao only stared for a minute before he turned. It was time to clean up the rest of the stragglers. He looked towards the roof and waved, signaling the clones he had created earlier to come out. The two clones appeared at the roofs, and then leapt down. The three of them, including the remaining Samurai, made quick work of cutting up and disposing of the remaining bandits. The town was left a graveyard, pools of blood staining the snow and bodies scattered around like weeds. The Samurai that had survived all gathered at the town's exit, and Takao approached them after finishing what he needed to.
“There's none left in the town. Once you clean out the bodies, it'll be safe for the villagers to move back in.” Takao said as he lowered his once white, now blood stained hood. The group exchanged their thanks and Takao replied with a simple bow of the head. “I'll be returning to the mountain now.” the teen said as he pulled the hood over his head once more. He waved dismissively to the Samurai as he started the long walk back to the summit.
It was indeed quite the walk. By the time Takao had returned, night had fallen over the Iron Country again. He passed by the Samurai guards and proceeded back to his room. Upon entering, he groggily disrobed and set his white, blood stained cloak over the back of a chair and rubbed his face. That was the first time he had ever taken a life, and it felt... Well, it felt like nothing. Takao wasn't happy about it, nor was he distraught. He just didn't seem to care, and that felt so much worse. He didn't want to be numb to that sort of thing, but it didn't seem like Takao had much of a choice in the matter. He fell face first into the bed and released an exhausted groan.
Source: Google Originally, rediscovered the site through an ad on Saga.
Face Claim: Okumura, Rin ~ Ao no Exorcist (Blue Exorcist)
Last edited by Arata Kimura on Mon Apr 22, 2013 4:05 am; edited 24 times in total